Bloody Roses
by Maxanda
Summary: When young woman gets thrown 1000 years into the future, she agrees to work with the AX as she tries to find a way back home, completely unaware she being closely watched by the Order of Rosenkreuz and Contra Mundi. Post-anime.
1. The Witch and the Clock

**Bloody Roses**  
_Chapter One  
The Witch and the Clock_

"Happy birthday!" A young blonde woman wearing a nightgown came bounding into a dim room where her brunette friend was still sleeping, a big smile plastered on her face. "Natasha, hello! Wake up! It's your birthday! The big double two!"

"No, shit," the brunette, Natasha, replied. Her voice was barely more than a whisper and half of her face was still buried in her pillow. She looked at her alarm clock and groaned. "Jeanine, it's 9:30!"

"I know. Get up!"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I need my sleep, so bugger off!"

Jeanine smirked, walked over to the window and pulled open the blinds, letting the morning sunlight shine through. Natasha covered her head with her duvet and growled. "Jeanine, I said bugger off!"

"Nope," Jeanine replied, pulling that large, thick blanket off the bed. "It's you birthday and we've got lots of stuff to do, so get up! It's your fault for staying up too late last night."

"Hey, it's not my fault I'm a night owl," Natasha said as she finally sat up and stretched. "Besides, I was almost finished Devil May Cry 3 and I wanted to see the ending."

"You and your video games," Jeanine commented, shaking her head. "When will you get a life?"

"When you stop interrupting mine."

"Ouch, that hurts," Jeanine replied, placing her hands over her left breast. "You break my heart."

"I'll break more than that if you don't stop that drama," Natasha commented, her eyes narrowed. "I'm going to have a hot shower."

"You'd better not take too long or there'll be no hot water for me."

"Too bad. You should have thought about that before you woke me up." Natasha strode past her friend and towards the bathroom, locking the door behind her so she wouldn't be interrupted. Looking in the mirror at her tired face, Natasha caught sight of dark circles beneath her eyes. _Thanks a lot, Jeanine. Now I look like I haven't slept in days._

Sighing, Natasha removed her pajamas and turned on the water. After spending a good thirty-five minutes in the shower, she turned off the water, wrapped herself in a towel and walked back to her room. She sighed with relief when she saw Jeanine was no longer there and dressed in silence, slipping on her favourite pair of jeans and a navy blue short-sleeved t-shirt. She combed out her curly hair and tied it into a small ponytail, keeping the loose strands at bay with a few small hair clips.

Natasha could smell something good as she strode towards the kitchen. Her eyes went wide when she saw a plate of freshly made fettuccine alfredo pasta on the table. Her gaze then moved to Jeanine, who pulled a small ice cream cake out of the freezer.

"Jeanine, you really shouldn't have ..."

"Don't say another word," Jeanine cut in. "This is you birthday. You're supposed to be treated like a princess. Besides, it's not everyday your best friend turns twenty-two."

"True," Natasha replied with a smile as she sat down at the table. "If this is what you did with only half an hour, I'm almost afraid to see what you would do with just one hour."

"Relax. I know how picky you are, so after I get ready and we finish eating, we're going out to a have a day of fun at the mall. And you can pick out whatever you want. My treat," Jeanine answered with a wink.

"Are you serious?"

"You forget who you're talking to."

Natasha gave a small smile. Jeanine came from a rich family and she often loved to treat Natasha, who came from a much less fortunate family, whenever she had the opportunity. The two met in high school and have been friends since. And to think it all started with Jeanine having issues with her homework assignment and asking Natasha, who was supposedly the brain of the class, for help. Although Natasha wasn't actually brainy at all, she did help Jeanine answer the question. Math was always a tough subject to tackle.

"Tempus fugit," Natasha muttered as she lifted her fork.

"Yeah, time flies alright," Jeanine said in reply. "Be back in two shakes."

By the time Jeanine returned to the kitchen twenty minutes later, Natasha had finished the entire fettuccine plate and had begun eating a piece of cake. "You just couldn't wait, could you?" Jeanine questioned with a smile.

"The cake was going to melt if you left it out too long," Natasha replied, blinking her eyes innocently.

Jeanine chuckled. "Yeah, right. I'll let your food-stealing ways pass for today."

"Stealing? Have you forgotten whose birthday it is?"

Both girls laughed. Natasha had a reputation for eating ... a lot. Jeanine could swear Natasha had a bottomless pit for a stomach. Food also went missing if you left it in the refrigerator for more than a day, and it was always because of her. The bugger of it all was Natasha weighed only 102 pounds at most.

"So, where do you want to go first?" Jeanine mumbled through a mouth full of cake.

"I don't know," Natasha replied. She held her chin up with her right hand and thought for a moment. "We could go to Chapters at the Hallman Bank Mall. There are several other stores there I wanted to look through for a while anyway."

"Sounds good."

* * *

"Tasha, are you going to stand at this shelf all day? How long can it take to look through a book?"

"As long as it takes," Natasha replied, turning another page in the novel she had been reading for the past half an hour.

"That was not a good answer, Tasha."

"Suck it up!"

"No! Are you buying the book or not?"

"... No."

"Then put the damn thing away and look at something you will buy!" Jeanine grabbed Natasha by the collar of her coat and began dragging her out of a huge bookstore. "We are going to browse some other stores for a while."

"Fine," Natasha muttered as Jeanine let go of her coat, allowing her to walk normally. "Where should we go next, then?"

"How about ... there?" Jeanine pointed to a small store several meters away.

"It's an antique shop," Natasha commented.

"And? You like antiques, don't you?"

"Since when have you cared?"

"Since today." Jeanine proceeded to grab Natasha again, but her friend pulled away and started walking towards the antique shop herself, not wanting to get dragged around again.

Natasha entered the small store to find herself surrounded by exquisitely beautiful pieces of furniture and decorations. Some were as small and simple as Christmas ornaments while others, like a nineteenth century grandfather clock, were large and complicated, yet beautiful. It didn't take long before a woman, the only employee, approached the two girls.

"Good afternoon, ladies," the woman said with an odd smile. She was wearing a black and white pinstriped suit. Her dyed icy blue hair was rolled into two neat buns on her each side of her head, and her skin was unusually pale. She spoke with a European accent that Natasha couldn't quite point out. "What can I do you today?"

"We're just browsing, thanks," Natasha said in reply, smiling back.

The woman nodded. Her dark blue eyes seemed to flash and were piercing. "Very well. If you need any assistance, please let me know."

Natasha suddenly pulled Jeanine aside. "That woman's beginning to creep me out."

"Why? I don't think she's scary."

"She's just ... I don't get a good feeling about her, that's all."

Jeanine shook her head. "Tasha, Tasha, Tasha. Sometimes I think these 'gut feelings' of yours are a little off."

"I've learned to listen to my gut feelings, and I don't like her," Natasha replied, sounding slightly annoyed. "I can't help it if I'm a little psychic, but it has saved my ass more than once." Natasha tried to leave the store but Jeanine stopped her. "Jeanine!"

"Okay, okay. We'll leave, but only after you pick out something."

Natasha sighed. Jeanine was obviously itching to buy something for her and she wasn't going to let Natasha out of this one. Natasha started walking around the store, gazing at the shelves and trying her best to ignore the feeling of that woman's eyes upon her. It sent a sharp chill down her spine.

"I see you're interested in clocks."

Natasha jumped and gasped, turning to see the woman was suddenly standing right next to her. She was still smiling, but now Natasha could tell it was forced.

"Um, yeah... Roman numeral clocks, preferably."

"May I suggest something for you, my dear?"

Before Natasha could answer, the woman walked away for a few seconds and came back with an object in her hand. Natasha couldn't help by stare at its beauty. It was a small clock with roman numerals, made of wood and plated with gold in various places. The design made it look like the face was sitting on a pile of books. The woman smile seemed to become more genuine when she saw Natasha's eyes widen.

"It's ... beautiful."

"Oh, yes. This one of the rarest and most beautiful items we have in stock," the woman said.

_Now I recognize that accent,_ Natasha thought to herself, thinking back on one of her favourite movies. _German. She's from Germany._

"This object is one of a kind," the woman continued. "I can give it to you for ... one thousand Canadian dollars. No taxes."

"One thousand? ... Um ..."

"C'mon, Tasha. Who cares? It's you birthday."

The woman gave a laugh that sounded somewhat like a cackle. "Goodness, dear. Is it really your birthday? You should have mentioned that sooner. In that case, you can have it for half price: five hundred Canadian dollars. How does that sound?"

"Well ..."

"We'll take it!" Jeanine cut in. Natasha felt like strangling her friend. The woman nodded and brought the object to the front desk, proceeding to wrap the item in tissue paper and slip it into a bag. Jeanine gave the woman the amount in five one hundred dollar bills, picked up the bag and gave it to Natasha.

"Thank you for shopping with us," the woman said as the girls left the store.

"Are you satisfied?" Natasha asked when they were at least five meters away.

"Why are you so uptight?"

"I'm telling you that woman is pure evil, and it's not because she's German!"

"How'd you know she's German?"

"The accent."

"I thought it was British."

"You have seen the Harry Potter movies, right?"

"Yes."

"Based on that, did her accent sound British to you?"

"Well ... no, but what makes you think that woman is 'evil'?"

Natasha rolled her eyes. "Never mind. If you don't get it now, you're not going to get it."

Jeanine sighed. "Look, Tasha. I want to believe you, I really do, but ..."

"There's no proof that she is," Natasha finished. "There isn't always physical proof for something right in front of you. Sometimes you just feel it. You just don't believe me. Admit it."

"Tasha, I ... I didn't mean it like that."

"Whatever, can we just go home?"

* * *

Despite that creepy antique store employee and her friend's bossy nature, Natasha actually had a good birthday. On the way home, Jeanine convinced her to stop at a McDonald's for a couple of sundaes and they spent the time chatting about random stuff like cheesy commercials, movies, television shows and Jeanine's ex-boyfriends. They didn't actually get back to the apartment until a few hours later. By then, it was past six o'clock and the sun had already gone down.

"So, overall, how would you rate your birthday this year on a scale of one to ten?" Jeanine asked.

"Well, I'd say an eight point five," Natasha replied.

"Not bad. Better than last year, even with today's events," Jeanine commented with a satisfied smile. "So when are you going to set your new clock?"

"In a few minutes. I'm going to read through the cards I received from my family first."

"Ah." Jeanine opened her mouth in a huge yawn. "Geeze, I didn't realize I'd be this tired so early. This day really took a lot out of me."

"Don't tell me you're going to go to bed right now?" Natasha looked at the clock. "It's only six thirty."

"Oh, well."

"You'll be up at five thirty again tomorrow," Natasha warned.

"You think I care? Good night," Jeanine replied, yawning again as she left the living room.

Natasha shook her head, a small smile slipping into view before slipping away just as quickly. She was tired too, but she couldn't sleep. Something about that blue-haired woman from the antique shop continued to put her on edge. And why was she so desperate to sell that clock to her in the first place?

Feeling a minor headache coming on, Natasha decided to push those thoughts aside and focus on her clock. It was very beautiful in the semi-dim lighting of the room. She picked up the clock and began setting the time. Then she realized that she needed to wind it up, but with what? She rotated the clock in her hands, looking for some sort of mechanism to wind it with, but found nothing. There wasn't even a space for a battery. Frowning, Natasha placed the clock down on the end table and crossed her arms. Getting up, she began pacing around the room, trying to find some sense in this whole thing.

_That witch must have ripped us off,_ Natasha thought. _That's it! We're going back tomorrow and getting our money back!_

Then she heard a small click, like something was moving. She approached the clock and picked it up. To her surprise, the hands of the clock were moving by themselves. She watched in disbelief as they rotated counter-clockwise and stopped at twelve o'clock. Then the clock began to ring.

_Bing, bing, bing, bing ..._

"What's going on here?"

_Bing, bing, bing, bing ..._

"There must be a ghost in this place."

_Bing, bing, bing, bing._

The clock stopped after twelve rings. Suddenly, she felt the floor collapse beneath her and her vision went blurry. She closed her eyes and held the clock close to her. Her stomach felt like it was inhabited by a swarm of butterflies and Natasha held her breath, afraid she'd hurl if she didn't. Then it was over almost as quickly as it came. She fell to the ground back first, the clock falling out of her hands. The wind was knocked out of her and for a moment, she couldn't breathe. She slowly rolled over onto her stomach and moaned. Looking up, she found herself in a large room she found unfamiliar and staring at three people she didn't know. Two of them, a man and a woman, were dressed similarly to a cardinal of the Catholic Church. The third was standing in front of a throne, dressed all in white with a staff and hat that spelled ...

_Pope?_ She thought, staring in disbelief. _That ... that just can't be right. He's no more than sixteen years old, if that. No more than a boy. Our current pope is that old man ... what's his name ... Benedict something-or-other? This must be a movie set or something..._

"Arrest the intruder!" the man shouted in a loud booming voice.

Suddenly, Natasha was forcefully pulled to her feet; her hands held firmly behind her back as there were placed in metal cuffs, and found several blades and guns pointed at her throat. Now she could fully view her surroundings and couldn't stop her mouth from hanging open. The she was in a huge domed room, with marble floors and large stone support polls on each side of the entrances. She was surrounded by several other cardinals and armoured guards. One of the guards, who was holding a blade to her throat, was a woman with short silvery blue hair covering one eye. Her gaze was very cold but didn't contain the evil nature of that witch from that antique store. Despite how bazaar things were, there was no way this was a movie set.

_This can't really be ... the Vatican? I can't be ... can it?_

"Well, heretic," the man said, his stern and booming voice making her shiver. "Who do you work for? The Empire? Rosen Kreuz? Some other Methuselah terrorist organization?"

"Hey, hold on a second!" Natasha said, both afraid and aggravated. "I am NOT a heretic, I work for no one and I have no idea what a Methuselah is!"

"No idea what a Methuselah is? Vampires have been roaming this earth for centuries! Making up lies to protect your comrades, no doubt!"

"Are you deaf? I told you I work for no one!"

"You dare talk like that in front of His Holiness Pope Alessandro XVIII? The very act is blasphemous! You are under arrest for blasphemy and attempted assassination of His Holiness ..."

"Hey, I did not such thing! How was I supposed to know I would end up in the middle of the Vatican? You're the one whose making up lies!"

"How dare you?! Take her away!"

_Take me away? To where?_ Natasha tried to squirm, but found herself suddenly in pain as a fist found its way to her stomach. Her body instantly weakened and she began shaking in pain, wanting to hold her poor stomach but unable to move. She found it hard to keep her eyes open and felt herself being dragged across the floor. The last thing she saw before being pulled out of the room was the sad and concerned face of the young boy they called Pope.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Thank you for reading. This is my first Trinity Blood story and I just got into the series recently. I have only read the first four volumes of the manga and seen the entire anime series, so if there are errors, please kindly let me know and I will fix them. Brother Petro was holding Natasha from behind and Sister Paula was the one who oh-so-kindly punched her in the stomach. Nice welcome from the Inquisition, eh? Well, that's what she gets for pissing off Francesco. Oh, and three guesses as to who that blue-haired woman from the antique shop is. ;) 


	2. A Dandelion's Aid

**Bloody Roses**   
_Chapter Two   
A Dandelion's Aid_

Cardinal Caterina Sforza sat at her desk, her hands forming a bridge underneath her nose. She stared into the air in front of her, thinking about the situation that occured not even an hour ago. She wasn't alone. Standing around her were most of the members of her special ops team, AX; Vaclav Havel, Tres Iqus, Kate Scott, Hugue de Watteau, Monica Argento and Kaya Syokka. They were waiting patiently for William Walter Wordsworth to return with his analysis on the object the young woman dropped. Monica had only just returned from a previous mission and found the story of the young woman to be ... interesting, at best.

"And you believe the girl told the truth?" Monica questioned with her arms crossed in front of her, breaking the silence.

"Pardon?" Caterina asked, looking up at the Black Widow.

Monica narrowed here eyes. "She just falls into the Vatican, right in the middle of a meeting with the Pope and the College of Cardinals, and you are saying we shouldn't be suspicious of her?"

"I didn't say that, Sister Monica," Caterina answered, holding her gaze with the raven-haired beauty. "All I'm saying is we shouldn't jump to conclusions, especially with the Inquisition keeping a close eye on her. Francesco would be too suspicious if we were to just drag her out of jail without some proof of her claim."

Monica sighed and said nothing in reply. Silence fell across the room once again and Caterina found herself absorbed in her thoughts. Moments later, there was a brief knock at the door. The cardinal looked up to the Professor entered, his left hand holding his pipe to his mouth and in his right was the object the young woman dropped. He placed in gently on Caterina's desk. She straightened herself and looked at William. "Well, what have you found out?"

"This object is, as I suspected, from pre-Armageddon," the Professor replied.

"And?"

"It appears to have been tampered with. Not only are there units of Lost Technology within its shell that don't belong, but it also appears to have be altered magically."

"The Order of Rosenkreuz, no doubt."

"Indeed," William said in reply. "However, there is one thing that puzzles me."

"What would that be?" Caterina questioned.

"According to one of my books, this object is the only one of its kind and was completely destroyed several centuries ago during a terrorist attack at the museum in Londinium," William replied. "So, why and how did Rosenkreuz get their hands on it, and what does this have to do with that young lady?"

"All valid questions," Caterina commented. "Do we know where this girl is being held?"

"In the cell right next to Dandelion," Kate said.

Caterina looked up at her holographic friend. "Are you positive, Sister Kate?"

"Yes, Your Eminence," Kate replied. "I overheard this news from Brother Matthaios and Brother Batholomaios of the Inquisition. Perhaps Leon would be able to find out more about this girl."

"My thoughts exactly," Caterina replied. "Sister Kate, go to Leon's cell and inform him of the situation."

"Yes, Your Eminence." Kate's hologram vanished.

* * *

Leon Garcia de Asturias had been jolted out of his little nap with the arrival of Brother Petro and the Inquisition. He was going to argue with them for interrupting his sleep when he noticed they were carrying a new prisoner, someone unfamiliar. Leon watched in silence as they open the cell right across from his, threw the prisoner inside and locked it. 

"She doesn't appear to be Methuselah," Brother Petro commented, unaware that Leon was listening to every word.

"Negative." That voice sounded almost exactly like Tres, only deeper. "Sensors indicate her body does not contain evidence of the Bacillus."

"Poor girl. If she didn't struggle so much, we wouldn't have had to hurt her," came the voice of a woman. She was quite obviously _not_ Sister Paula, although Leon couldn't see who she was.

"Until we know for sure who she is and why she's here, she will remain in this cell," Sister Paula said in slight monotone.

"We must report back to Cardinal Medici," Brother Petro said and turning, he led in Inquisition away. When Leon was sure they were gone, he looked at the new prisoner and saw it was, as they had said, a woman. She was young. Leon guessed she was in her late teens. She lay unconcious and shivering on the cell floor. He sat there, watching the girl for was seemed like forever. Perhaps twenty or thirty minutes passed by. Something about her made him think of his daughter.

"You've seen the new prisoner?"

Leon jumped and turned to see the hologram of Sister Kate Scott. "Dammit, Kate! You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

"Shut up! You know I shouldn't be here!" Kate hissed. "I have orders from Her Eminence."

This caught Leon's attention. "Really? So what does the Lady Cardinal want of me this time?"

"You must talk to that girl and find out whatever you can about her."

"What?!"

"This is serious, Leon!" Kate countered. "She appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, in the middle of a meeting with the Pope and the College of Cardinals, and was arrested by the Inquisition. She was carrying an object the Professor determined to be connected to Rosenkreuz."

"Okay... So, if she's from Rosenkreuz, why don't we just get rid of her?"

"That's the thing: we don't know if she is or not. She appeared to be confused with her surroundings and she even didn't know what a Methuselah was."

Leon crossed his arms, a stern expression plastered on his face. He looked over at the girl and after a moment, he sighed. "Alright, I'll see what I can pull out of her. Her Eminence better be taking time of my sentence for this!"

"You'll have to talk to her about that yourself. The Professor and Know Faith will be here to pick you up a couple of hours. You should have something by then." Kate vanished before Leon could argue.

* * *

Natasha couldn't remember when she blacked out. She assumed it was right after she saw the concerned face of the young Pope, as that was all she could remember after that fierce woman punched her. She felt the cold pavement beneath her and opened her eyes, blinking several times until she could see a set of bars in front of her. Shivering and still a little sore, she pushed her body into a sitting position and looked around. She found herself in a small cell with dim lighting; it looked very much like how television and movies made it appear. She forced herself to stand and approached the bars. Although she knew it would be pointless, she grabbed the bars and pulled hard with all her might, hanging on to a small hope that this was all nothing but a dream. When they refused to give way, she sighed and sank to the floor. 

"What's makes you think you can move those bars, little lady?"

Natasha jumped and she stared at the sounce of the voice with wide eyes. It was a man with long unkept black hair and black eyes. His skin was slightly tanned and he had a slight Spanish accent. He had friendly smile on his face but he was wearing a prison uniform and that was a good reason to cautious.

"Hey, hey! Take it easy, senorita. I only asked you a question," the man commented when she started backing up. "Besides, I'm locked up too, so I can't do anything even if I wanted to."

Approaching the bars again, Natasha paused for a moment before speaking. "I was just ... kinda hoping that this was all a dream."

"Heh! I wish. If this was a dream, I wouldn't be locked up right now," the man commented. "By the way, the name's Leon. Leon Garcia de Asturias. Yours?"

"Um, I'm Natasha Summerz," she replied. _I'm not even going to ask why he's locked up here. I don't think I wanna know. Then again, it could be something stupid like what that "cardinal" was accusing me of. Oh well..._

"So, where are you from?" Leon asked. "You don't look like you're from Rome. You from Albion?"

"Um, no. I'm from Canada, actually. The province of Ontario."_What's Albion? And why am I telling him where I live? For all I know, he could be a murderer!_

Natasha frowned when she saw shock in Leon's eyes. He seemed to analyse her for a bit before giving a sympathetic smile. "Nice one, kid. You almost got me there."

"What are you talking about? I'm serious! I was born in Canada in 1986. Twenty-two years ago today."

Leon's eyes seemed to become sad as he looked away. "Well, if you say so. I'd hate to be the one to tell you kid, but Canada no longer exists."

Now it was Natasha's turn to be shocked. "What? What do you mean?"

"The Americas were destroyed during Armageddon, Canada included. Nothing lives there anymore. It's been that way for almost 1000 years."

Natasha was still trying to absorb this information. Canada destroyed? Armageddon? It was all too bazaar to believe. "Wha-what year is this? It should be 2008!"

"3062 AD," Leon replied. He watched as her face dropped. Her hands seemed to weaken as they slipped off the bars and into her lap. He almost felt bad for her. It seemed she really was telling the truth after all. "Sorry you had to hear that ..."

"Don't be. It's not your fault," Natasha said, her voice barely more than a whisper. She pulled her legs up to her chest and burried her face in her knees. Leon watched her in silence. He could hear her sniffling, and knew she was crying. He tried to think of something to say but nothing came to mind. How do you try to confort someone in this position? It was a tough call. He subconciously touched the pendant around his neck and thought of his daughter. He rubbed the cool metal gently in his hand and opened it to reveal a picture of a child.

"Leon?"

He turned to see Natasha looking at him. Her eyes were red and puffy, and a stray tear was still crawling down her cheek. "If you don't mind me asking, who is that child?"

Leon looked back at the small photo and gave a sad smile. "My little girl."

_His daughter?_ "She looks beautiful."

"She is," Leon replied. "She's the most beautiful woman in the world. I love her more than anything."

Natasha smiled and chuckled to herself. "What is it?" Leon asked.

"My mother and sister. They were the most beautiful women in my life," Natasha answered. "My mother disappeared in 2005 and hasn't been found since. I took care of my sister until she turned eighteen and now she lives with her boyfriend. I miss her."

"I take it she's younger than you."

"By three years. She and I have always been close. We apparently looked so much alike, people used to stop us on the street to ask if we were twins," Natasha said in reply. "My mother said I must have been psychic because even before she was born, I knew I was going to have a sister and no one could argue with me."

Leon smiled. "That's good to hear. Not a lot of people seem to care that much about their siblings. Cardinal Francesco is one of them."

"Francesco?"

"Yeah. He's the Pope's half-brother and likes to order him around. Since the Inquisition brought you here, I'm assuming that you've probably seen him."

Natasha thought for a moment. "Well, when I ... arrived here, I saw the Pope and there were two people next to him who looked like they would be cardinals. One was a woman with blonde hair and the other was a man with brown hair."

"Yep. That's him."

"What?! He's the Pope's brother? But he's a rotten bastard!"

"Keep it down!" Leon growled. "You don't want to guards to hear you."

"So, if that man is Cardinal Francesco, then who is that woman?"

"Cardinal Caterina. She's the Pope's half-sister, and my boss."

Natasha's eyes went wide. "Your boss? Really?"

"Yeah. She leads the Ministry of Holy Affairs and the AX unit, which I'm part of."

"Wow," was all Natasha could say at the moment.

Leon nodded and smiled brightly. "Yep. My code name is Dandelion. Don't ask why and don't laugh."

Of course, Leon's comment almost made her laugh but she held back and smiled instead. "So, how are you working for her if you're still in jail?"

"She gives me jobs to do and takes a few decades off my sentence as a reward, providing I complete my task and come back alive."

"A few decades? How long is your sentence?"

"1000 years," Leon answered. "Or, it was until I started working for her. I lost track of where its at now but it's a lot less than what it used to be, by at least a few hundred years."

"So, you've been doing a lot of work for her then?"

"Yep."

"So ... do you think you could get Cardinal Caterina to let me out of here?"

Leon gave a knowing smile. "I thought you'd never ask."

"What do you mean?"

"Although, I don't think word of mouth is gonna cut it. Cardinal Francesco is a tough nut to crack and his Inquisition squad isn't any better. You'll need solid proof."

Natasha crossed her arms and frowned. After a moment, her eyes lit up and she began to fish through her left pocket. She pulled out a small object and held it up for Leon to see. "Could this work?"

Leon raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"It's called a flash drive," Natasha explained. "This one holds approximately two gigabytes worth of computer files. Anything from images to text and even videos. The last edited dates on those files should be enough. I don't think anything like this survived Armageddon."

"You know, that just might work. I don't know what you're talking about, but I know a collegue who could figure it out. Leave everything to me."

Natasha threw it over to Leon, who caught the small object in the palm of his hand. "Thanks, Leon."

"Don't thank me just yet. Wait until it's over."

Leon's face became stern when the sound of footsteps approached. Both watched as a guard approached and stood in from of Leon's cell. "Hey, Garcia. You have visitors."

"Well, sound's like that's my queue," Leon said, standing up as the guard opened his cell. Just as the guard began to move him along, Leon stopped for a brief moment and looked at Natasha. "I'll do what I can."

Natasha smiled in reply and watched as the guard led Leon away, hoping to God that she did the right thing.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Thank you for the reviews on the previous chapter. I'm glad you like the story so far. As you may have noticed, I'm trying to include characters that didn't appear in the anime. And someone correctly guessed the indentity of the woman from the previous chapter. You'll see more of her later too. Thanks for reading and I'll see you at Chapter Three. :) 


	3. Arcanum Cella Ex Dono Dei

**Bloody Roses**  
_Chapter Three  
Arcanum Cella Ex Dono Dei_

Leon entered Cardinal Caterina's office, dressed in his priest robes and ready to give his report on the girl. He truly felt bad for Natasha and hoped that there was enough evidence to force the Inquisition to let her go. He stood in front of Caterina's desk. The Lady Cardinal looked up, her gray brown eyes piercing his.

"So, Father Leon. What have you found out about the girl?"

"Her name's Natasha Summerz. She says she's from Canada, the year 2008," Leon began. "She said she was born in 1986 and she's twenty-two years old. She has a younger sister. Her mother went missing in 2005 and hasn't been seen since."

"Anything else?"

"Well, she gave me this." Leon pulled out a small object and placed it on Caterina's desk. "She calls in a flash drive. She says it holds two giga-something of computer stuff and that it may prove her innocence." Caterina picked up the flash drive and held it in her hand, her eyes looking over the item with a small air of curiosity.

"By saying 'giga-something', I'm assuming you mean gigabytes," the Professor commented.

Leon frowned. "Er ... yeah. That."

"Father William, would you be able to look into this?" Caterina asked.

"Oh course, Your Eminence," William replied, taking the flash drive in his hand and looking it over. "It doesn't look too complicated and it is most certainly intriguing. It's not everyday you come across a piece of Lost Technology such as this."

"Just be careful not to blow up anything this time," Sister Kate warned.

"Nonsense, this won't make anything 'blow up', Sister Kate," William commented. "All I should need to do is place this in one of the empty ports in the computer and see what's inside. It shouldn't take too long."

Caterina nodded and William turned to leave. Leon turned back to the cardinal. "So, do I get any time off my sentence for this?"

"If this proves her innocence, then yes," Caterina replied. "In the meantime, we will wait."

"What? No missions?"

"Not yet," the Lady Cardinal answered. "There are currently no situations that need our immediate attention. If necessary, I will send someone but you will remain here for now."

"Me? Why here?" Leon questioned.

"You are the first person this Natasha has formally met," Caterina explained. "If there is anyone she would trust at a time like this, I would be you."

Leon nodded in reply. Natasha certainly seemed to trust him. If this did prove her innocence, that trust would be maintained. Although, Leon had this feeling that if the situation was different, she wouldn't have nearly been so trusting. She must have felt like she didn't have a choice otherwise. Sighing, he leaned against the wall by the window and crossed his arms. His eyes met with those of the android, who stood as stiff as always. Leon held his gaze with Tres for a while before breaking away, choosing instead to stare at the floor.

Leon's eyes immediately shot towards the door when he heard the handle turn. William entered the room, a victorious smile plastered on his face and a paper in his right hand. He approached Caterina's desk and handed the paper to her. He watched quietly as the Lady Cardinal read every word.

"This will be enough to free the girl?" she questioned.

"Absolutely," the Professor replied. "All you need to do is sign at the bottom and the Inquisition will have no choice but to let her go."

"This report contains falsified information, William," Caterina warned. "This very risky."

"Perhaps, but it's more risky to let the Inquisition know the truth. If Cardinal Francesco got word that she comes from the 21st century, he'll be after her faster than you can say Amen. We have to protect her identity until we can find some way to get her back home."

"Agreed." Caterina signed the paper and gave it back to the Professor. "Go with Leon to free the girl, then bring her to me. I would like to speak with her."

* * *

Natasha yawned for perhaps the one hundredth time since Leon left. It was too quiet and her thoughts could only keep her preoccupied for so long. She considered taking a nap at one point but she decided against it. What time was it? It was six thirty when she fiddled with the clock but she didn't know what the time difference would be between then and now. There were no windows, so she couldn't see if it was dark or not. She knew it would take a while for things to get settled, if Leon was at all successful. She wanted to trust him. He wasn't hostile or negative, or she'd be able to feel it. 

Natasha jumped when she heard the sound of a moving door and knew it was one of the guards. She watched for the guard and was surprised to find it was actually two of the people who had arrested her earlier. From what Leon told her, she assumed they were part of the Inquisition team. Both wore red fabric over metal armour. The man had long blue hair and a stern face; the woman, the one who had punched her in the stomach, had short gray-white hair and a neutral expression. They quietly opened the cell and the man motioned her to come forth. She did as she was told and they led her down one hallway, then another and through several door along the way. When they opened the final door, Natasha's face lit up as she saw who was waiting on the other side.

It was Leon, wearing a more formal attire and standing was a man she assumed was a colleague. The blue-haired man from the Inquisition unlocked her cuffs and stepped out of her path. She rubbed her wrists to get some of the circulation back and walked up to Leon.

"You really did it."

"Yep. Now you can say it," Leon commented with a smile.

Natasha nodded. "Thank you, Leon."

The man beside Leon smiled as well, holding a pipe up to his mouth with his left hand. He didn't say anything until they were outside the building and walking through the cold, wet snow towards the Vatican. "You are Natasha Summerz, I presume."

"Yes, sir."

"There's no need to call me 'sir', Miss Summerz. I am Father William Walter Wordsworth. You may call me William, Professor or Father Wordsworth if you wish."

"Father," Natasha repeated. "So, you're a priest?"

"In a matter of speaking," William replied. "All members of AX are fully ordained members of the Roman Catholic Church, with a few exceptions."

"Like Leon?"

"Yes," the Professor answered. "Leon is one of a few special cases. You will find out more when you speak with Cardinal Sforza."

"Cardinal Caterina? I get to talk with her?"

William chuckled. "Of course. She would like to know the details that led to this point. It would help us greatly if you could tell her everything you know."

"I'll do my best."

* * *

Natasha couldn't help but stare at her surroundings as Leon and William led her through the halls of the Vatican. They led her to an area Father William referred to as the Palazzo Sparta and eventually stopped in front of a solid wood door. William opened it and motioned for Natasha to go inside. She quietly walk in and several people turned to look at her. They were all nuns and priests, or is seemed that way. One so-called priest was actually a woman dressed in a priest's attire and another nun was transparent. She figured it was a hologram, like those from the science fiction shows she used to watch with her father as a child. She never really liked the idea of so many people staring at her but that thought flew from her mind when she caught sight of the female cardinal from earlier, the one Leon told her about. Cardinal Caterina Sforza. 

"You are Natasha Summerz," Caterina said as Natasha was led closer to the desk by William.

"Yes, ma'am."

Caterina smiled. "You may call me Cardinal Sforza, Cardinal Caterina or simply Your Eminence."

Natasha nodded. "Okay ... Your Eminence. I was told you wanted to know how I got here."

"Yes, but first, would like some tea? You seem tired and could probably use a good pick up."

"Um ... yes. Thank you," Natasha replied as one of the priests began pouring the tea for her. She knew Caterina was being generous with her words. Natasha wasn't just tired but cold and sore too, no thanks to the Inquisition.

"Don't thank me," Caterina said in reply, turning her gaze to the holographic nun for a moment. "It was Sister Kate who prepared it. Her teas are the best in Rome."

Natasha looked at the blonde hologram for a moment before taking a sip of the hot tea. At first, the liquid was too hot for her to taste anything but the more she sipped, the more she could taste. She quickly realized that this was indeed the best tea she had ever tasted. Natasha smiled.

"I see you like it," Sister Kate commented.

"Yes," Natasha replied with a bright smile. "I thought my mother's teas were great, but yours are excellent!"

"Thank you. Feel free to ask for some anytime."

"Oh, you know I will!"

"Are you ready to proceed, Miss Summerz?" Caterina asked, breaking up the conversation.

"Yes, Your Eminence," Natasha replied with a slightly apologetic tone. She placed the fine China cup gently on the desk and met the Lady Cardinal's gaze.

"Please, start from the beginning," Caterina said. "All details you can remember of the events that led you to this point."

Natasha nodded. "Well, it's my birthday today ... or, it is in 2008, and my best friend Jeanine wanted to treat me. So we went to a mall downtown and browsed for hours, eventually coming to an antique store. I figured it was fairly new, because I had been to that mall only a few days earlier and that store wasn't there."

"I take it you like antiques," Sister Kate commented.

"Yes, especially old roman-numeral clocks," Natasha replied. "Anyway, the only employee of this store that we could see was this tall creepy woman was dyed blue hair and dark blue eyes and gave off a very evil vibe. I didn't trust her. Jeanine insisted that we buy something and the woman pushed us to buy a small gold-plated wooden roman-numeral clock. Jeanine didn't care how expensive it was and bought it for me."

"Evil vibe, you say?" Father William repeated.

"Yeah. Her aura was just dripping with it and she sent a cold chill down my spine. She had a German accent, too." Everyone in the room exchanged glances. Natasha didn't noticed as she continued. "Anyway, Jeanine went to bed at six thirty, so I proceeded to set the clock, but there was so handle with which to wind the clock nor were there any compartments for batteries. I figured the woman ripped me off and decided I'd bring it back tomorrow but then I heard a clicking noise. As if something was moving."

She paused to catch her breath, having let all that information out at once, and she still wasn't finished. Father William took as a opportunity to ask a question. He held out the old clock in front of her. "Would this happen to be the clock you speak of?"

"Yes! That's exactly the clock I'm talking about," she replied. "It's hands began to rotate counter-clockwise and once they stopped at twelve o'clock, the clock rang twelve times and sent me here."

Caterina nodded. "And you have no idea who that woman was? None at all?"

"No, it was the first time I'd seen her."

Caterina became absorbed in her thoughts and a shroud of silence fell upon the room. If it wasn't for the fact that floor was carpeted, you could've heard a pin drop. The Lady Cardinal continued to stare into the air in front of her as she spoke. "And how is it that you could ... 'detect' this evil vibe from that woman?"

Natasha seemed a little shocked with the question. Then again, no one really believed her anyway. Could it be that Caterina did? Natasha sighed. "Well, it in the family. At least, that's what my mother told me. The Summerz family has apparently always been highly sensitive to surrounding energies. I guess you can say we have a sort of 'sixth sense' for that stuff. A person's aura can reveal a lot of information if you know how to read it properly. I also have limited experience with reading thoughts, so I haven't quite mastered that yet."

Caterina exchanged glances with Father William. He then focused his gaze on Natasha. "Well, that sounds like a branch paranormal abilities coined by pre-Armageddon parapsychologists: people who studied paranormal psychological phenomena. I believe the correct term is psionics. From what you are saying, you demonstrate the use of telepathy, as well extrasensory perception."

"Hmm ... powerful abilities for someone from pre-Armageddon," Caterina commented, raising an eyebrow questioningly.

"Well, most people in the 21st century believe it's just fiction, including Jeanine. I won't be hurt if you say you don't believe me. I'm kind of used to hearing that." Natasha replied with a slight frown.

"If what you say is true," Caterina said, "then tell me _exactly_ what I am thinking."

Natasha's grew wide and her mouth fell open. _Didn't she hear what she said? I just told I hadn't mastered it yet! What is she thinking?_ Caterina's gaze, however, told Natasha she was serious. She sighed and closed her eyes, clearing her mind of all thought and focusing on summoning the image of Caterina in her mind's eye. She opened her eyes and stared directly at Caterina, the Lady Cardinal noticing Natasha's eyes had become clouded with a mist that seemed to carry a faint glow.

"You are thinking about the Pope," Natasha said in a slight monotone. "You are pleased with his new-found desire to forge a peaceful aliance between humans and vampires, but you are also concerned about Cardinal Francesco. His possessiveness over Alessandro and the papal throne as a whole threatens to consume the Vatican and destroy the alliances forged with the Kingdom of Albion and the New Human Empire." Natasha blinked a few times and the mist left her eyes. "So, how'd I do?"

Caterina closed her eyes and smiled. Natasha got it spot-on and reminded her of Noélle Bor; Caterina found herself thinking of the raven-haired beauty who had died in Barcelona. After a moment of silence, submerged in her thoughts, Caterina opened her eyes and focused her gaze on the young woman. Her decision had been made. "Arcanum Cella Ex Dono Dei."

"Huh?"

"The full name of the special operations group I founded seven years ago, after I became the Chief Minister of Holy Affairs," Caterina explained. "It is more commonly known as AX for short. Everyone you see in this room is a member of AX. Their unique skills make each person a valuable asset to the team." Caterina paused for a moment before continuing. "I believe your skills will be a great asset to this team as well. I would like to request your services on behalf of the Department of Holy Affairs. Will you accept?"

Natasha's eyes went wide. "You ... you're asking me join your team, the AX?"

"Correct."

"So, that means I got it right? Your thoughts, I mean?"

"Yes."

Natasha mouthed "wow" and swallowed hard. "Well, sure. As long as I'm not a burden."

"Nonsense. You will start your training immediately," the Lady Cardinal. "Come to my office tomorrow mourning and I will assign you a partner with who you will begin your firearms training."

_Firearms? I get to shoot a gun?_ Natasha smiled somewhat nervously. "Sure thing, Your Eminence."

"Good." Caterina turned her gaze to the priest standing next to her. His long brown hair fell across his shoulders and reminded Natasha of how the Roman Catholic Church pictured Jesus. "Father Havel, please escort Sister Summerz to her new quarters and make sure she is given a proper meal. Sister Kaya, make sure she gets settled in and obtain her measurements for a habit."

"As you wish, Your Eminence," Havel relied, his kind eyes resting on Natasha. The young nun nearby with dark brown hair and tanned skin nodded and smiled in reply.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Whew! Another chapter completed. If you feel that any of this is rushed, than I apologize. I'm on a roll with this story and want to get it all out before my creativity slows down again. Three chapters within one week. That's a new personal record. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it. Cheers. :) 


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